Computers crash and stop working for all sorts of crazy reasons. Some are easy to work out why and others can leave you with a headache. Here is a list we have compiled with the top 10 reasons your computer could be crashing or restarting unexpectedly.

 

 

1. Overheating

Computers get very hot very quickly. Parts like the CPU (Central Processing Unit) and hard drives work very hard and generate a lot of heat. Making sure your computer is well ventilated, in a clean dust free area, can stop your computer getting to hot, which can force it to turn off.

 

2. Power Supply Failure

Power supplies either fail because they are faulty or due to outside factors such as a gecko climbing in to take a nap, power surges from your house or even water or rain getting in.

 

3. Bad software.

Poorly written and installed software can cause your computer to do all sorts of things. From starting unexpectedly to making your computer vulnerable to attacks, poorly made software can be one of the worse things to happen to your computer. Make sure you software is always up-to-date by checking it regularly and make sure your computer operating system files are always up to date also.

 

4. Hard disk failure

Your hard drive, one of the major components of your computer which olds your operating system and all your files is a very sensitive piece of equipments. Most hard drives spin around 1000’s of times per minute which makes a lot of wear and tear.

 

5.BIOS Settings

Your BIOS stands for Basic Input Output Settings and is basically the software which makes decisions for your motherboard to make. It is one of the first software operations on your computer and happens before your hard drive starts up. Wrong or corrupt BIOS settings can cause your computer to do all sorts of things, from stopping unexpectedly, taking a long time to boot up, or not starting at all.

 

6. Computer Viruses

Not only do computer viruses annoy you by trying to sell you things through popups, steal your information through spyware or hold your computer ransom (ransomeware), a lot of viruses out there just want to annoy you. Sometimes they are designed to halt your system and other times your computer does not know what to do with the instructions and restarts.

 

7. Memory

Memory is not to be mistaken for your hard drive and is the component of your computer which stores programs temporarily while you’re executing them and running on your computer. If your memory is damaged or not working properly it can cause your computer to restart and take a long time to start back up.

 

8. Printer 

You wouldn’t think something as simple as a printer could cause your computer to restart, but it is not as uncommon as you might think. A faulty printer port, the wrong printer driver and even the size of the file you are trying to print can all cause your computer to crash on occasion. Making sure you always use the latest printer drivers from your printers manufacturer will help ensure your printing does not cause your computer to crash.